Soap Logs

It has been a brief minute since we lasted posted. Things have been hectic yet rewarding. We have been really busy this holiday season, which is always a BIG plus and we are nearing the end of our pregnancy. We are nearly less than 3 weeks away before our little bundle of joy will be with us.

Due to the holiday rush we sold out of many of our soaps therefore we have to make more, here are pictures of a couple restocks and 3 new soaps. This is not the best picture. From left to right (new) Lime Sugar test batch, restock of Beer Shampoo Bar, (new) Lavender Oats with Goats Milk, restock of Almond, Milk and Honey (this one will get much darker as it ages), restock of Chai Tea, restock of Cranberry Spice and (new) Carrot, Milk and Honey. We have more to add but that is it for tonight.

New Website

We have been working hard on revamping our image. We are going as green as green can be for the year 2010. We already offer a large variety of eco-friendly products, however, we do not market them that way. So here is a snapshot of our new site, that we feel has a very green appeal to it.

Etsy Feature

Here is an FYI we will be featured in Etsy's Weekend Deals this weekend (10/23 - 25/2009). Starting Friday you can save 25% off of all items in our shop excluding Bargain Bin items. You must enter code "Oct25" to take advantage of the saving. We will refund based on qualifying purchases.

Also take a look at our new Glycerin Soaps

What's Going On....

I know it has been a while since I’ve posted and for that I am truly sorry. One of my new year’s resolutions was to become more active with my blogging, but unfortunately, yet fortunately other things got in the way (my little bundle of joy that is growing inside of me). Anyway just wanted to give you all an update as to what is going on with Karess Krafters and CCrafters on Etsy. By the end of October we will have the following items ready for sale

New Lip Balm Flavors
Cotton Candy
Cucumber Melon
Groovy Grape
Orange Sorbet
Raging Raspberry
Smackin’ Strawberry


We are also introducing a glycerin soap line. We offered these in the past and they went over extremely well for us so we thought we will bring them back. Here is what we have in the making

Cucumber Melon
Orange Sorbet
Lemon Cake
Lime Sugar
Raspberry Cream with Goats Milk
Tahitian Vanilla
Orange Sorbet

Also we plan to introduce a new shampoo bar made from our glycerin soap base. To this base we will add cocoa and mango butters, African Black Soap, a touch of hemp (we love hemp) and an essential oil blend that will be beneficial to the hair and skin.

That is all for now folks. Be sure to check us out at the following networking sites

www.facebook.com/kkfans
www.twitter.com/karesskrafters

Butter Cream

Butter Cream was formulated for those with dry, thirsty skin, but all skin types can appreciate this super rich moisturizer. Infused with Cocoa and Shea Butters for their ability to treat dry skin, moisturize and retain the skin’s elasticity along with Aloe Vera gel for its soothing properties, this Butter Cream will hydrate, restore moisture and provide a conditioning, protective barrier against the environmental elements. Avocado Oil is added for its historical ability to penetrate nutrients for dry skin and Coconut Oil for its power to absorb quickly and provide relief for dry, itchy skin. Butter Cream will envelope your skin in moisture as well as give your sensory glands a true delight with its rich aroma. Available in Black Vanilla, Cast A Spell, Tahitian Vanilla and Uni. Get it at our webstore or Etsy

New Product - Perfume Oil

We try to keep things as simple as possible at Karess Krafters and our perfume oil is no exception. Our perfume oil is formulated in a base of nutritional coconut oil for its ability to penetrate the skin quickly without leaving a greasy after feel. Each bottle is highly scented to make your senses come to life by spreading a long lasting aroma along with good thoughts. Very economical too, with an average of 80 uses per bottle. Check it at our webstore or at Etsy

New Hemp Lip Balm Flavors

We have added some new hemp lip balm flavors to our collection. We have Chai Tea, Lime Sugar, Honey Bee and Vanilla Bean

Update

I know it has been a while since I’ve updated this blog so please forgive me for my tardiness. In case you’ve been wondering what the hold up has been, hubby and I are expecting in January 2010. It came as a total surprise along with the roller coaster mood swings. Even though we are expecting a bundle of joy soon, this does not change the direction of Karess Krafters or CCrafters on Etsy. We are still soaping as much as possible preparing for the current and upcoming seasons. As an FYI we have the following items in the making

1. Oatmeal, Milk & Honey Soap*
2. Jamaica Paradise Soap*
3. Foaming Foot Soap in an 8 oz size
4. Sole Glow Foot Soap (deodorize on one side and slough away calluses with the other)*
5. Pure Shea Butter scented on with essential oils
6. The return of Whipped Cocoa Butter
   
   
   *currently on the curing rack

Soaps with a New Look

Pomegranate Jazz


Orange Clove



Lemon Sugar


Ginger Lime


Honey Almond



Citrus Splash

Coconut Lime

Cast A Spell

New Soaps

Twisted - a beautiful fragrance blend of ripe strawberries, black berries and pomegrante


Lavender & Tangerine - a well balanced essential oil blend of Lavender and Tangerine. Fresh and Lite



Jack Ale - It is all about spice with this one with the added note of REAL BEER





Grapefruit Mint - an essential oil blend that is fresh and clean just in time for the summer

Eucaplytus Spearmint - an essential oil bleand with the right amount of mint that is not too overpowering

Carrot, Milk & Honey - unscented but takes on the beautiful nutty aroma derived from Organic Carrot Juice, Goats Milk and Honey.

New Product Alert

Lotion Bars:

Enjoy our solid lotion bar, a convenient and natural way to moisturize anytime. Our lotion bars come loaded with healing shea butter, moisturizing cocoa butter, regenerating sunflower oil and vitamin rich soybean oil that imparts a silky and soft feeling to the skin all while keeping it nice and supple. Net Wt. 1 oz Available in Citrus Blossom and Sugar Passion

Come See Us

We will be at the Garden Gate Cafe this Saturday, March 28th from 9:00 - 3:00. Come out and shop for wares, household items, smell goods and MUCH MORE!

Garden Gate Cafe

1411 Aversboro Road

Garner NC

Herbal Salve

Hello Everyone,

Today I would like to share a little about our Herbal Salve. Our Herbal Salve was formulated to treat a friend’s itchy, dry patches due to eczema. The salve has worked wonders for the friend’s skin however it is more than just a dry patch soother.

Recently, my youngest son who is 10 had his hair cut at the barber’s that left a small cut around his hair line from the clippers. Of course he complained about the uncomfortable feeling and I, being mom, kissed it and said it will be all better now. That did not work as those “kiss the boo boo” days are long gone for him. So to make matters better, I applied the salve to his cut. He immediately said mom, this has a little tingle. I replied it will tingle just a little while because of the fresh cut from the clippers. If it continues to tingle after a few more minutes then we will wipe it off. Well a few moments later he did not complain and his cut felt much better.

Another incident was a few months back when I received a chemical burn on my scalp from a relaxer that was put in my hair. The burn was not bad however, it was a bit uncomfortable. So I applied the Herbal Salve to the burn and I felt the same sensation, since it was a fresh burn, my son experienced and sure enough a few moments later it felt much better. Now mind you I have had these same type of burns many times over in the past and it would take days for that baby to heal on its own. These burns were so uncomfortable that I would hate to comb or brush my hair in that area because it would irritate it really bad. Almost like the feeling of pulling the scab off of a healing cut.

Just yesterday from my visit to the salon, the Herbal Salve came to the rescue again. This time I got my hair washed, conditioned and styled. Well after coming from under the dryer, my stylist applied some sort of spray to my hair right before styling it. Instantly the crown of my head started itching like crazy. I tried to fight the urge from scratching it but I could not take it any longer. So I dug into my head like there was no tomorrow. My stylist said “girl you are going to scratch your hair out with the way your digging, do you want me to put, as she referred to it, some of your grease on your hair?” (I gave her a sample of it a while ago after I shared my experience from the chemical burn and my son’s experience from the clippers). Of course I replied “yes”. The moment she applied the Herbal Salve to the crown of my head the itch was gone. It went away instantly. It is now one day later and the crown of my head has not itched since. I just love this Herbal Salve it is really a great item to have in all households.

Here is a brief description about our Herbal Salve. It is loaded with soothing oils, butters, waxes and herbs to treat dry patches, itchy spots, and cracked skin or anywhere your skin needs extra attention. This all-natural salve will nourish, replenish and rejuvenate skin all while protecting and healing at the same time. An infusion of olive oil with St. John’s Wort, Plantain, Chickweed, and Calendula combined with Virgin Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E and natural waxes is the perfect prescription for beautiful, healthy skin. A must have in every household.

** This product is vegan friendly and contains no artificial ingredients.

• St. John’s Wort – an excellent herb for the treatment of burns, wounds, sores, insect bites, eczema and itching


• Plantain – is a general wound healing herb that is especially good for bites and stings


• Chickweed – soothing, anti-inflammatory that promotes wound healing


• Calendula – soothes and aids in quick healing of cuts and abrasions

***The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

Etsy Feature

Our Lavender Dream soap go an Etsy feature today from one of the members with the NC Triangle Team.

Turkey Burger

Well you know nearly everyone is trying to eat healthier and live to eat rather than eat to live. The other day I had a craving for a good juicy hamburger. Since I am trying to do less red meat and more lean meat I made homemade turkey burgers. I have made this recipe several times before with a few substitutions. In the past I would put the burgers on a baking sheet that has a pan that sits on top of it with slits in it. The baking sheet is designed to catch the grease from the food you’re cooking. Kind of hard to explain the pan and I am sure many of you know what I am talking about. It is the same pan that generally comes with the purchase of a new stove. Anyways, I always form my homemade burgers in the shape of a regular burger with a thickness of about 1”. Whenever I would cook these babies in the oven they would swell help into a huge meat ball, which in my opinion made them too thick for a burger. Despite their appearance and triple thickness, my family and I would still eat them as if they were the best thing since sliced bread. Well yesterday, I decided to pull out the good ole George Foreman. Mind you the only time George gets pulled out is when we are taking it on vacation to prepare meals in the hotel to obviously save money. Therefore, George generally only gets used twice a year. Anyway, I used good ole George to cook the burgers and man they came out good as all get out. They retained their beautiful round shape with its one inch thickness and the kicker was how juicy they were. For our side dish, I baked the kids seasoned french fries, hubby had baked sweet potato fries and I had a carrot and raisin salad, which was also handmade. Give this turkey burger recipe a try, you will not be disappointed. FYI, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com by doing a Google search for “turkey burger recipe”. Here it is

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
2 fresh green chile peppers, diced (I subbed Red Crushed Peppers)
1 medium red onion, diced (I used a white onion)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (I used ½ cilantro and ½ parsley)
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground dry mustard
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the grill for high heat.
2. In a bowl, mix the ground turkey, garlic, ginger, chile peppers, red onion, cilantro, salt, soy sauce, black pepper, paprika, mustard, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Form the mixture into 8 burger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place turkey burgers on the grill, and cook 5 to 10 minutes per side, until well done.

Scratch and Dent Soaps

This is a great buy for anyone wanting to try our soaps and/or get quality handmade soaps at an affordable price. Our lost your gain, we simply have too much soap and want to move stock to make room for the new. Therefore, we’ve made our Scratch & Dent One Pound Bundle of fabulous Karess Krafters Natural Handmade soap available to YOU! Each lot consists of one pound of discontinued and/or slightly imperfect soap at a great price for a limited time! These bars are undersized and/or slightly visual and flavor imperfect. All the soaps are high quality created in our signature olive-based recipe. Each 1 lb bundle will be different with each soap bar wrapped with full ingredient label on each. This is a mix of bars ranging from 3 - 6 oz each.

Just an FYI when we say slightly visual and/or flavor imperfect we mean we did not achieve the color results we were aiming for or the fragrance was not what we anticipated, meaning it was too light.

Foam Hand Soap

We have a new product - Foam Hand Soap



Pamper your hands with our gentle, mild and effective hand soap. We have placed our special soap recipe in a unique dispensing bottle that creates powerful cleansing foam that can be enjoyed by every household. Only one pump of foam is enough to thoroughly cleanse your hands with tropical blend of sweet strawberries, creamy vanilla and juicy pomegranate. Keep one at every sink; it is wonderful and fun for children and adults alike.

New Item - Body Sprays

Refresh and invigorate your skin with your favorite Karess Krafters’ fragrance anytime you want. Each bottle contains a special perfume blend that will make your (and those around you) senses come to life by spreading a long lasting aroma along with good thoughts. Spray a little on your neck, behind the ears, on your pulse points or wherever you want to smell divine. Special Secret: It is good for the hair too! Size: 1 oz

At the present time we are only offering our body sprays in Cast A Spell and Blue Passion. See our Etsy Shop or Site for more details

Cucumber Sandwich

You know the famous New Years resolution—Lose Weight. Well I decided not to make that resolution this year, however, I did take on the resolution to eat to live rather than live to eat and I must say I have been very good about eating my daily servings of fruits and veggies and increasing my water intake. I have not had a sip or a glass of soda this entire year and guess what, I don’t miss it.

Well anyway, I participated in a Healthy Pot Luck at work this week and was quite surprised at the array of healthy foods as well as their taste. One dish I sampled was made with tofu, onions, green peppers and rice. Of course, I twisted my nose to the tofu until I tried it. It was DELICIOUS! It was so good that I went out and purchased some tofu just to create this meal. The creator of this dish shared with me that it is best to get firm or extra-firm tofu to avoid the spongy, gross-like texture that many speak of, which was my only reservation about tofu. Of course this sparked me to ask more questions about healthy, creative snacks, meals, desserts, etc.

One quick, simple, and inexpensive meal this person shared with me was a cucumber sandwich. I was like yuck, cucumbers and bread, NO WAY. Boy was I turned into a BELIEVER after I sampled it. This sandwich is so doggone good that I had to make myself one for lunch as well as hubby. Here is what the creator did and I followed it exactly.

• 2 slices of bread (preferably wheat)
• Mayo (next time I will use Veganaisse)
• Cucumbers
• Onions
• Green Peppers
• Sprouts
• Black Pepper
  

1. Spread the mayo on both sides of the bread
2. Cut your veggies as small or as large as you like
3. Place them in any order on your bread
4. Add sprouts
5. Add black pepper to taste
6. Cut sandwich (if you wish) and Enjoy!

Shampoo Bars

Shampoo Bars are making a strong presence in the world of hair care. They are natural, environmental-friendly and a nice alternative to liquid shampoo. The best thing is they only contain ingredients good for your hair. NO synthetic colorants, preservatives and foam boasting agents are added to any of our shampoo bars. They are scented with premium essential oils and are made with natural vegetable oils along with other natural ingredients, such as herbal tea and beer. Our shampoo bars are suitable for vegans and has minimal packaging – no bottle to store and/or recycle.

To Use: Simply saturate your hair with water, rub the bar on your scalp and work the later through your hair. Don’t worry our shampoo bars produce loads of lather.

Special Note: Many commercial shampoos have special additives that will weigh the hair down which causes build up. Once you begin to use shampoo bars, it will strip away all the unwanted stuff from your hair, which can initially cause your hair to be stiff. Please don’t panic. This is a natural occurrence for many first time shampoo bar users. To cure this issue, mix 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup of water and pour all over your hair after washing. Follow with a cold water rinse and proceed with your normal hair care regime (condition, dry, etc.).

Why use the Vinegar Rinse? The vinegar helps rid your hair from any product buildup/residue with the added benefit of balancing your hairs pH and adding body and shine. Continue to use the Vinegar Rinse for at least a week or you may use each time you wash your hair, the choice is yours.

We have created a Shampoo Bar Sampler – an inexpensive way to try these babies out. Included with each sampler is a .5 – 1 oz size bar of each of our Shampoo Bars (Babassu, Beer and Botanical). Get them in our Etsy shop

NEW PRODUCT ALERT

Our Hemp Hairdressing is perfect for those who have dry, brittle hair, flakey scalp or just want to protect their hair from environmental elements with natural non-clogging oils and herbs. Hemp Hairdressing is a hair-loving infusion designed to enrich the hair with essential nutrients and help prevent dryness and breakage while imparting a subtle touch of sheen. A rich blend of jojoba wax in a castor oil base and moisture-packed vegetable oils add incredible sheen, while controlling the hair. The combination of Virgin Coconut and Hempseed oils with Neem Extract stimulate and moisturize the hair shaft. Mango and Mowrah Butters add moisture and protect the hair and scalp from environmental damage and heat during the styling process. Herbs of Horesetail and Nettle along with natural oils of Soybean, Broccoli Seed and Vitamin E add even more ump to this moisture rich formulation. It is a perfect hairdressing addition for the entire family. Added Bonus Secret: Great for the skin too!

Lip Balms to Keep the Lips Plump and Moist

Lip Balms was on our “to do” list and thankfully we got them all done. We have THREE new flavors to add to our growing list – Chocolate Mint, Coconut Lemongrass and Raspberry Lemonade. Of course we kept Mango it is one of our best sellers along with LaVanilla which is a balanced blend of lavender and vanilla. The only difference with LaVanilla is it is now in an ALL VEGAN FORMULA along with Simply Herbal which will impart a little tingle on the puckers. Check them out on Etsy and Online.

Our First Newsletter for 2009

Happy New Year - from Karess Krafters!

We are entering our fourth year and we would like to thank each of you for your continued support.

As you may already know, our focus is formulating superior products for your hair and skin using premium ingredients found around the globe and this year will be NO exception. As we journey through 2009, we will be making many changes to our bath and body catalog that will include vegan-friendly products and eco-friendly packaging.

We have slashed prices on many of our “soon to be retired” items such as our Clean Cut Shaving Soap, Lime Ale soap made with real Beer, Sugar Passion Roll-On Perfume and our Foot Soap with Pumice and Walnut Shell Powder to make room for the NEW! We will be introducing more goats milk and essential oil based handmade soaps like Citrus Splash, Hello Sunshine and Honey Almond Sugar Cookie to name a few. Also, we will be replacing our Roll-On Perfume fragrances with more earthy blends like Nag Champa, Egyptian Musk and Patchouli. Even though we are introducing many new products we will continue to offer our most popular items that many of you have come to love - Blue Passion Handmade Soap, Citrus Blossom Shea Monoi Butter, and our Botanical Shampoo Bar.

Lastly, the staff at Karess Krafters is elxcited to be introducing these exciting new changes. We hope that you all enjoy the wonderful surprises we have in store to share!

Sincerely,

The Karess Krafters Team

Free Shipping for the month of January on all U.S. orders over $25. NO DISCOUNT CODE NEEDED (all etsy and artfire customers, please indicate “free shipping” during checkout and wait for a revised invoice)

Visit Us Online

http://www.karesskrafters.com/

http://www.ccrafters.etsy.com/

http://www.karesskrafters.artfire.com/

Happy New Year

Happy New Year – hope you all had a joyous and peaceful time during the holiday season. It was a wonderful, yet busy time over at Karess Krafters. Once the Christmas rush was over the Karess Krafters staff was able to get some much needed rest and time to spend with family.

We have started the New Year off with some savings. Check out our Bargain Bin for items that are being discontinued.

As we journey through the New Year, we will be introducing new products and/or scents each month. Here is a tentative roll out schedule of our new items.

February Lip Balms
- new flavors
- some vegan-friendly

March Moisturizers
- new scents
- Whipped Shea Butter
- Lotion Bars

April Hair Care
- Hemp Hairdressing
- Leave-In Conditioner
- Shampoo Bar

May Perfume
-Roll-On Earthy Fragrances


As always we will continue to add new soap flavors to our collection. At the present time
we have added a few already – Citrus Splash, Honey Almond Sugar Cookie, and Sweet
Hemp to name a few.